Churn



Dec. 25 1923.

J. A. LAWRENCE CHURN Filed May 25. 1922 J 4.1 aw rence WITNESSES 7. 4"JMM a/o ATTORNEYS Patented en. 25, 1923.

JOSEPH A. LAWRENCE, OF LINDSAY, OKLAHOMA.

cn'unn.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Josnrn A. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Lindsay, in the county of Garvin and State of(lklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in churns,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in churns, and has for itsobject to provide a device of this character which is smooth and evenrunning in operation and adapted to be manually operated from either astanding or sitting position or to be operated by motor and which is soorganized that when one means is utilized for operating the same theother means will be disconnected from the mechanical train between theactive operating means and the agitating means so as to decrease theload and enable the device operate with maximum efficiency. 1

Another object is to provide a device of this character which is ofsimple and durable construction reliable and efficient in operation andeasy and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in certain novelfeatures of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, illus trating the preferredembodiment of the in vention; I

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of thesido of the machine opposite tothat shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation; and

Figure 4 is a detail view in elevation of the spring catch or keeper forthe swinging arm or gear carrier. 1

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration. is shownthe preferred embodiment of the invcntiom tho numeral designates a basefrom which upstand standards, designated at lland 12. the standardsbeing. secured at their lower ends to the base and being connected attheir upper ends by a cross piece 13. It is obvious that the standards11 and 12 and cross piece 13 constitute a frame.

fastened to the standard 11.

- gear carrier or on swinging A shaft 15 is rotatably mounted insuitable bearings provided therefor in the standards 11 and 12, and oneend of the shaft has a crank arm 16 fixed thereto and pivotallyconnected to one end of a pitn'ian 17, the opposite endof which ispivotally connected to stirrer or agitating element 18 which may beofany suitable construction and which is mounted for reciproca'torymovement in bearing brackets 19. and 20 The bearing bracket 20 isprovided with an integral extension 21 formed to constitute a bearingfor the adjacent end of the shaft 15, as shown in Figure 3. In thismanner the motion of the shaft 15 is imparted to the stirrer 18 andserves to reciprocate the same. The end of the shaft 15 opposite to thecrank arm l6extends for a substantial distance beyond the standard 12and to this extreme end afly wheel 22 is fixed. This fly wheel servesto, give to the moving parts of the device a smbotheven running andcontinuous motion and it is also adapted to serve as a driven gear wheelin that its periphery isadapted to engage a belt or friction drivingpinion or other suitable 'means by which the motion of an electric motoror the like may bc transmittcd to the shaft 15. If the wheel 22 is useda driven gear wheel and in conjunction with a motor as above described,the churn power operated.

.In order that t is churn may manually operated a pinion 23 is kc ed tothat portion of the shaft 15 which extends between the standard 12 andthe fly wheel. 22. A. fixed arm 24 is secured to the standard 12 belowthe shaft 15 and inclined upwardly and out wardly and its upper end ispivotally C0117 nected to a swinging arm or gear carrier 25 which thefixed arm serves to support. it.

gear wheel 26 is rotatably u'iounted on the and is adapted to be broughtinto e1 g igeincnt with the pinion hileans is provided for locking thegear carrier-25 in proper position when the gear 26 and the pinion 22are in mesh or in driving engagement and preferably this means comprisesa spring catch or keeper 27 securechas at 28, to the standard 12 andhaving a notch 29 which receives the swinging arm or gear carrier 25 tohold it against vertical displacement. The gear carrier is maintainedagainst lateral displacement by virtue of its engagement vith'thestandard 12 and its connection with the fixed arm 24. Preferably thespring catch or keeper 2'? is constructed of ILQSILIQIIt froma motor ormay be manuall operated metal and if desired a finger piece or otheroperating means 36 may be integrally formed therewith in order tofacilitate dis-- engagement of the catch with the swinging arm orcarrier when desired. The gear wheel 26 may be actuated from avertically extending operating lever 31 having a bell crank 32 pivotallyconnected, as at 33, to a 7 standard 11. to drive the churn one of itsarms is conpedestal 3a upstanding from the base 10. One arm of the bellcrank lever 32 is provided with a series of openings 35 adapted toselectively coact with-a pivot pin 36 whereby the bell crank lever ispivotally connected to one end of a connecting rod 37. It is obviousthat by varying the connection of the connecting rod with the bell cranklever, the throw imparted by the bell crank lever to the connecting rodmay be varied. The opposite end of the connectmg rod 37 ispivo'tallyconnected to the gear 26 by means of a crank pin 2'? eccentricallysecured to the lateral face of the gear 26L The series of openings 85not only permit of varying the throw as described but they also serve tofacilitate the actuation of the shaft 15 from an operating lever 40which when in use is substantially horizontal and enables the operatorto drive the machine froma sitting position. The lever a0 is pivotallysupported, as at 41, to a bracket arm 42 secured to the standard 12 andto the fixed arm 24. A brace 45 may be employed to'make' the arms 24:and 42 more rigid, the brace being secured to these arms and to the Whenthe lever 40 is utilized nected with the bell crank 32 by means of alink 46, a'pivotpin connecting the link 46 with one of the openings 85..When the lever 31 is 'utilized'to drive the churn the lever 40 isdisconnected from the bell crank lever '32 and is retained ininoperative position by a spring catch or keeper 4:8, as shown inFigurel. r

In order to render the machine highly efficient and smooth and evenrunning, the shaft 1 15 is provided intermediate its ends and betweenthe standarcls 11 and 12 with a crank 15. A pair of retractile coilsprings, designated at 50 and 51 are provided, the retractile coilspring 50 having one end secured, as at 52, to the cross piece 13 andhav- 7 ing its opposite end connected, as at 53'with the-crank 15 andthe retractile coil spring 50 having one of its ends secured, as at 54:,to the base 10 and having its opposite end connected, as at 55, with thecrank 15. These springs 50 and 51' are normally under tension and whenthe crank is turned, the tension of each spring is alternately increasedand diminished. The springs serve to stabilize the motion of the shaftand to prevent irregular and jgumping motion.

In operat1on, the churn may be driven from a standing position byutilizing the lever 31 or from a sitting position by utilizing the lever40. The provision of the le ver 40 enables a child or woman to operatethe machine. Irrespective of what means is utilized to drive the churnmaximum efficiency may always be had, since the mechanism not used todrive the shaft 15 is disconnected therefrom and does not serve toincrease the load imposed upon the shaft or upon the mechanism. Ofcourse when the manually operated means is used the fly wheel 22 servesas a fly wheel and when the motor is used this element serves not onlyas a fly wheel but alsoas a driven gear.

I claim:

1. Ina churn, a rotatable shaft, an element actuated thereby, a flywheel fixed to driving gear selectivelyengageable with and disengageablefrom the pinion, anda plurality of levers. adapted to be selectivelyutilized to actuate the driving gear wheel, the fly wheel being adaptedto serve as a driven gear'when the driving gear is disengaged from thepinion. V

2. In churn, a'frame', a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, areciprocal element drivenfrom said shaft, a pinion fixed to said shaft,a gear meshing with said pinion, a bell crank lever, means forpivotallysupporting the bell crank lever, a vertically disposed rockablelever connected to one arm of the bell crank lever, the other arm of thebell crank lever having a plurality of openings therein, a connectingrod having one end pivotally connected to one of the openings of the armof the bell crank lever and shaft, a pinion fixed to the shaft betweenthe fly wheel and the frame, a fixed arm carried by the frame, aswinging arm pivotally connected at one end to the fixed arm, a gearrotatably mounted'on the swinging arm intermediate its ends, a springcatch carried by the frame and adapted to engage the swinging armadjacent its free end for holding it in position to maintain the gear inmesh with the pinion and manually operable means for actuating saidgear.

' JOSEPH A. LAWRENCE.

